Blog #3 - Planning and Implementation

Blog 3

My overall impression of the Picciano (2011) text persists in that the book offers a brief and concise ‘pointer’ to external information. The author presents a logically-arranged synopsis of the major considerations to be made for planning and implementing technology with a focus on education and educational leadership. Emphasis is given not only to the technological end of things (hardware, software, etc.) but educating, training, and managing the personnel infrastructure as well as financial considerations that impact all of the other factors.

One example of the ‘pointing’ undertaken is reflected in work by Riaz, Nielsen, Pedersen, Prasad, & Madsen (2009), in which the implementation of broadband internet access is deployed via both wired and wireless technologies. The best of each are combined synergistically to create a hard-wired ‘backbone’ with centralized design terminating in wireless transmitters and routers to maximize flexibility and extend the physical access of range.

Similarly, Monahan (2008) emphasizes the limitations that technology has in attempting to address disparities in access not only to technology, but correspondingly to educational resources. The commentary reflects not only the relationships between wired and wireless access, but also emphasizes ways in which economic disparities may be reflected in the same physical deployment.

As an example of the ‘pointing’ detailed in the Picciano (2011) text, Bielec & Iadarola (2007) also offered a concrete explication of the precise steps and interventions undertaken by a small college seeking to provide world-class technological access and support on a shoestring budget. The offering presents one specific set of examples for how technology planning can achieve synergy between existing partners, facilitate technologic planning and implementation, and result in the physical deployment of an effective technology plan.

The final chapters of the text, in my opinion, offer many valid points for consideration by technology planners, but again the savvy planner would be well advised to seek out previously tried and proven research and methodology existing in the literature.

References

Bielec, J.A., & Iadarola, A. (2007). Strategic collaboration: Building a major league technology                infrastructure on a small college budget. New Directions for Higher Education, 140, 111-120.

Monahan, T. (2008). Picturing technological change: The materiality of information infrastructures in in            public education. Technology, Pedagogy, and Education, 17(2), 89-101.

Picciano, A.G. (2011). Educational leadership and planning for technology, 5^th ed. Upper Saddle River,                New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Riaz, M.T., Nielsen, R.H., Pedersen, J.M., Prasad, N.R., & Madsen, O.B. (2009). A framework for planning a unified wired and wireless ICT structure. Wireless Personal Communication, 54, 169-185.